Melbourne mum sued for $150k after claiming eyebrow tattoo infection left her ‘scarred’
A MELBOURNE mum is being sued for $150,000 after she claimed that having her eyebrows tattooed caused her skin to peel off. WARNING: Graphic images
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A MELBOURNE mum is being sued for more than $150,000 after posting a warning on her Facebook page about the dangers of eyebrow tattooing.
Amanda Coats’ story went viral when the 43-year-old makeup artist posted images of what she claimed happened after having her eyebrows feather tattooed — a procedure that involves making small cuts into the skin that are then injected with ink — at Point Cook’s Skincare Laser Clinic.
The store and trained cosmetic tattooist Batulzii Cleveland have now filed a writ in the County Court seeking compensation after parts of Ms Coats’ Facebook post were republished on 12 separate sites both here and in the UK and the US.
WOMAN CONTRACTED STAPH INFECTION FROM FALSE EYELASHES
Ms Coats claimed she contracted a “severe infection” leaving her with no eyebrows.
“I went to get my eyebrows feather tattooed to enhance them,” she wrote on Facebook.
“I ended up with a severe infection from clinic and the skin was just falling away and my eyes blew up.”
Ms Cleveland says Ms Coats’ post defamed her by suggesting she is a rude, unprofessional liar who does not uphold hygiene standards and does not care if clients are satisfied or suffering medical complaints.
The clinic said the posts suggest it operates an unhygienic premises.
LASER TREATMENT LEAVES WOMAN BLOODIED AND IN PAIN
Ms Cleveland and the clinic say the same imputations were repeated in a Google review posted by Ms Coats around the same time in July last year.
Their writ says Ms Coats has not corrected or apologised for the either the Facebook post or the Google review.
As a result Ms Cleveland says she has been exposed to ridicule and contempt, has been shunned and avoided, hurt and embarrassed and had her good character and reputation injured.
The clinic says it has also suffered reputational damage, with 11 clients to date cancelling appointments with specific reference to the various publications, and lost income of more than $5600.
Ms Cleveland is seeking $100,000 compensation, plus interest and costs, with the clinic demanding $55,000 plus interest and costs.|
On her Facebook post Ms Coats claims Ms Cleveland was “very rushed, going in and out of the room attending to other clients,” and then “ignored” her repeated attempts to contact her after her treatment to tell her about the alleged infections.
“I asked to come and show her and she again ignored it. I told her patches of skin came away and my eyes are weeping and swollen still she ignored me,” her post says.
Ms Coats claims her doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics and steroids for the swelling, saying “the pain has been just terrible”.
“I have to constantly dress the wounds. The cost of all this is now greater than what I paid for the procedure.”
She claimed she would most likely “end up with scarring as a result”, and urged other considering the procedure to be cautious.
The clinic denied their treatment had caused the infection, telling 9 Honey that Ms Coats had called four days after the June 30 procedure to complain about the colour fading but made no mention of any signs of an infection until July 17.
“There is no way we could be responsible for the infection two and a half weeks after the procedure,” the clinic owner and Ms Cleveland’s husband Iain told 9 Honey.
He said the viral post had “destroyed” their clinic’s reputation and claimed his wife had done more than 2000 procedures and never once caused an infection.
peter.mickelburough@news.com.au
